Not So Safe In The Middle

My first time seeing patty pan squash was at a supermarket in Cape Town. H had never seen it before either. So when I saw this here at a South African supermarket chain, I figured this could be the first and last time I see this ingredient. So I grabbed some.

If you’re buying patty pan squash for the first time, choose the smallest/youngest ones that you can find (no more than 5-7 cm in diameter). Touch and choose the firm ones, not semi-soft ones. This was my first mistake. I thought I was being smart by going for the median: not so large, not so small; not so soft, not so firm. Safe in the middle. And now I know why. The older ones? They have a bitter aftertaste. I didn’t feel/ mind it so much when I sauteed them, but it was very evident when I stuffed them.

For the stuffing, I wanted multitudes of colors. So I sauteed leeks, mushroom, carrots, onions, bacon as well as the insides of those patty pan squash & zucchini. Then I dumped them into a mini food processor, blitz few times to get a “grain-size” pieces, then add the cooked multi-grain (barley, wild rice & quinoa). Season with salt, pepper & chopped parsley. Bake on 175 C for 20-30 mins till soft & cooked.

I also grated some cheddar on top of the zucchini, so that even without “a hat” it won’t get too dry.

Bitterness aside, these were awesome and I’m glad I bought those cute patty pan squash. Another first on my list.